Why Pop Culture for Faith discussions?
You’ll notice that many of the Holy Babble resources use pop culture and media as a starting place for sacred conversation. Why is that? Shouldn’t the primary focus be on religious texts, theology, or spiritual practices? Below, I offer a few reasons why Holy Babble uses movies, songs, and other art as starting places for faithful discussions.
Pop culture is just easier to talk about. Think about the last great movie you saw. Did you tell anyone about it? Did you encourage others to watch it? Maybe you went on-line to find some articles breaking down that wild ending. We love talking about our favourite shows, books, and music in a way that feels easier and more comfortable for most than talking about our faith. At work on Monday morning, we might chat about the Succession finale, but many of us find it harder to talk about the sermon we heard the previous morning. So Holy Babble uses pop culture to get the conversation going in a way that feels more familiar.
Pop culture doesn’t have “insiders” and “outsiders”. Okay, it’s possible there are some Star Wars/Harry Potter/Marvel Universe fans who will disagree with me here, but by and large we all have our preferences - media we consume, and things that just don’t interest us. Unlike religion which can create boundaries between those who have been around a long time and those who are newcomers, art puts us all on equal footing. Even if someone in the group has read the book before, it just takes one reading for everyone to be on the same page.
Pop culture provides a safe distance for sharing about our feelings and experiences. Unless a group knows one another really well, it’s hard to dive right into a conversation about personal topics like grief or theological concepts like forgiveness. However, we can watch a play or a movie and begin to explore those ideas by imagining what the characters were feeling, wondering if we agreed with their choices, or connecting their experiences to our own. From there, it can open the door to connecting those stories to the ones in scripture.
Pop culture creates a shared experience beyond words. Much like a worship service, listening to a song together or watching a film, allows a group to experience the same thing at the same time. You might try to talk about the idea of hope, for instance, but listening to Sam Cooke’s, “A Change is Gonna Come,” puts us all in that hopeful heart space together.
I’d love to hear from you about what music, film, or book might spark a faithful conversation in your community. Let’s create something together!
-Brenna
